Jana Sämann

Jana Sämann is a Researcher at the University of Siegen's Department of Social Sciences within Faculty I, specializing in Political Education and Youth Work. She holds concurrent roles as a Lecturer at the University of Bremen's Social Work program. Her research focuses on neutrality postulates in youth work, right-wing political interventions, and the professional autonomy of educators. She currently leads the DFG-funded Research Training Group 2493 'Consequences of Social Assistance' and contributes to the 'Von und Miteinander Lernen' project.

Education: MA in Educational Sciences (Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg) and BA in Social Work (University of Applied Sciences Bremen). Prior experience includes 6 years as a youth education officer in Bremen, emphasizing extracurricular political education and youth cultural work.

Research Interests: Neutrality in education, right-wing delegitimization strategies, democracy education, conspiracy theories in social work, and participatory pedagogical methods. Her work interrogates how external pressures shape professional identities and youth engagement.

Publications (2024 highlights): Analyzes neutrality demands as political weapons, explores youth work under pressure, and critiques organizational constraints. Recent works appear in FORUM für Kinder- und Jugendarbeit and Springer VS publications.

Professional Networks: Member of German Society for Social Work (DGSA), Forum for Critical Political Education, and Scientific Network for Child and Youth Work. Active in public lectures addressing conspiracy theories, memory politics, and neoliberal challenges to youth work.